Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

---

Robert Wright and journalist Zaid Jilani discuss the latest on the Iran war and how the US, Israel, and Iran have played—and misplayed—their hands in the conflict. Plus: In Overtime, Zaid gives the inside view of the scandal that pushed him out of the Center for American Progress.

Subscribe to The NonZero Newsletter at: nonzero.org/subscribe
Exclusive Overtime discussion: nonzero.org/p/trumps-self-inflicted-iran-quagmire
Join NonZero's Discord server: discord.gg/Zy4jAhTQMF

0:00 Teaser
0:49 Zaid’s Substack and spicy-take history
3:16 Zaid: Iran has outplayed Trump and Bibi
10:17 10/7 as turning point
13:50 Did—and does—Israel want regime collapse in Iran?
20:15 Israel’s security dilemma(s)
27:13 How Trump blundered back into war
33:57 Will the war end well for anyone?
37:44 Heading to Overtime

Discussed in Overtime:
The Center for American Progress saga.
Is speech policing rocket fuel for radicalization?
Zaid’s side gig.

Robert Wright (Nonzero, The Evolution of God, Why Buddhism Is True) and Zaid Jilani (theamericansaga.com/). Recorded July 14, 2026.

Twitter: twitter.com/NonzeroPods